Your Right to Know

Attorney General Mike DeWine hopes an advisory committee of foster care advocates, juvenile
justice officials and others can come up with recommendations for improving the lives of children
who grow up without a permanent home.

The Foster Care Advisory Group will take a look at the concerns raised by foster children,
foster parents and others at eight child-safety summits DeWine held across the state in the past
year.

“They told us about their achievements and their struggles, and now we have a good foundation
to build on to suggest changes needed to help protect Ohio’s foster children,” DeWine said before
the group’s first meeting this morning at the Statehouse. “Now is the time for innovative changes
to ensure that every child has a safe, loving and permanent home.”

The group is to issue recommendations next year.

On average, about 12,000 Ohio children are living in foster care each month. Last year more
than 1,500 foster children “aged out” of care when they turned 18, and are essentially on their
own.

Concerns raised during the summits included: roadblocks to adoption, lack of opportunity for
foster parents to provide input during court proceedings, court-appointed guardian ad litems who
are failing to represent best interest of youth, lack of mentors for foster children and too many
restrictions on youth in foster care.